Steering shaft

Well-Known Member

I keep seeing DK selling a GM steering shaft replacement that is supposedly better than the Jeep shafts. If it is a better fit and easier to install then count me in. No disrespect to the vendors here but if I can save a buck by pulling my own then that is the route a broke guy has to take. (My money is limited but my labor is free.) Question is, what is the source of these shafts?

Senior member

Well-Known Member

Unfortunately its not just a simple matter of finding the later shafts it has to be cut apart and rewelded otherwise it is clocked wrong meaning your steering wheel in your car would not be in the correct position. Again I don't know the exact process only that it gets dismantled and reassembled so the ends line up correctly for our application.

That is why the price is what it is. I have to wait til I have 8 to 10 of them and ship them to a guy who "clocks" them and paints them show quality. Not to mention finding them and removing them from the vehicles....none of which is exactly easy at least for me.

Heck I am open to trades?

I have them in stock.....so again even if I told you the vehicle it isn't the entire answer to the solution....

It is a better shaft than the jeep because it is in better shape to start with since GM surrounded it with a boot. Plus it come sout of a newer vehicle.

Its also easier to install as the two parts telescope easier....for lack of a better word.

Well-Known Member

Unfortunately its not just a simple matter of finding the later shafts it has to be cut apart and rewelded otherwise it is clocked wrong meaning your steering wheel in your car would not be in the correct position. Again I don't know the exact process only that it gets dismantled and reassembled so the ends line up correctly for our application.

It is a better shaft than the jeep because it is in better shape to start with since GM surrounded it with a boot. Plus it come sout of a newer vehicle.

Its also easier to install as the two parts telescope easier....for lack of a better word.

Well-Known Member

Its not that it has to be redesigned it needs one end switched (clocked) and reset. The guy that does my shafts charges me $25 each and I have to send a minimum of 10 at a time to him. This is why the price is $89.95 plus shipping. Plus its not an easy shaft to find. I hit yards that have 2,000 cars or more and if I get 4 or 5 shafts at one time its a lot.

Well-Known Member

Unfortunately its not just a simple matter of finding the later shafts it has to be cut apart and rewelded otherwise it is clocked wrong meaning your steering wheel in your car would not be in the correct position. Again I don't know the exact process only that it gets dismantled and reassembled so the ends line up correctly for our application.

That is why the price is what it is. I have to wait til I have 8 to 10 of them and ship them to a guy who "clocks" them and paints them show quality. Not to mention finding them and removing them from the vehicles....none of which is exactly easy at least for me.

Heck I am open to trades?

I have them in stock.....so again even if I told you the vehicle it isn't the entire answer to the solution....

It is a better shaft than the jeep because it is in better shape to start with since GM surrounded it with a boot. Plus it come sout of a newer vehicle.

Its also easier to install as the two parts telescope easier....for lack of a better word.

Member

I bought and installed one few years ago when DK first introduced them at his get together, worth the money.
Glad to get rid of that canvas/rubber coupling
Also installed the rubber boot and new clip at the firewall.

Well-Known Member

The upgraded shafts are quite popular with metal joints at both ends..one I sell is superior to the Jeep one. Also not as bulky...while its true you can save money and remove it from a GM van as noted it is alot of work plus you got to know what your doing to "reclock" which I have a guy do and respray them...

we do also sell a large number of the bearing kit reason is GM was cheap on our cars and its just a rubber like seal not a steel bearing that is seated in the base of your main steering shaft.

Our cars did not see many upgrades in suspension since it was the end of the line for the rear wheel drive G body platform. Just looking at your antique dash proves that point....

Sometimes things work out keep in mind you have to clock one end of it...not sure how that is done as I deal with a guy who does that,.
Finding one here an there at a junk yard is fine....but when you sell 40 to 50 a year and the temps outside are 20 degrees and your pushing 70 years old....I tend to not go after the shafts much anymore..

I do go almost every weekend to junk yards....good exercise and I learn alot and I supply several vendors with parts.....in bulk.

Active Member

The upgraded shafts are quite popular with metal joints at both ends..one I sell is superior to the Jeep one. Also not as bulky...while its true you can save money and remove it from a GM van as noted it is alot of work plus you got to know what your doing to "reclock" which I have a guy do and respray them...

we do also sell a large number of the bearing kit reason is GM was cheap on our cars and its just a rubber like seal not a steel bearing that is seated in the base of your main steering shaft.

Our cars did not see many upgrades in suspension since it was the end of the line for the rear wheel drive G body platform. Just looking at your antique dash proves that point....

Well-Known Member

the good news is our christmas specials get published this wednesday Nov 29th and the steering shaft is on sale coupled with the metal bearing kit.

I go frequent to junk yards.....it can be fun for the lst hour or so but at my age and cold weather it cases to be fun by the second hour.....example finding vacuum brake pedals....not easy to remove from cars again at my age but I still do it for the vacuum brake set ups we sell.

Most of you reading this probably have far better mechanical skills than I have....my skills are not mechanical....

Active Member

Well-Known Member

to answer earlier questions...sometimes in the yards if another guy is near me I will pay him a few bucks to pull a brake pedal for me or whatever....saves me time....

as for the clocking process I have no idea what is involved as those shafts I send to the guy who does them and he ships them back to me which as you realize adds to my cost factor. The Jeep ones do not need to be clocked.

yes I have shafts currently in stock....and they are on Christmas special combined with the 5 piece bearing kit which is superior to the rubber seal GM used at the base of your main steering shaft which is easy to replace since you are removing the lower steering shaft.

ANy case our shafts are real nice...but yes more than $20....

bu then again....I assume you are not working on a 4 to 5 grand turbo regal....